Happy Memorial Day

??1.5 lbs, 86.5 lbs gone

My hubby and I were talking about how it feels to have lost so much weight and for me it's a feeling of weightlessness. He reminded me that I had been carrying around 43 five-pound bags of sugar.

43 five-pound bags of sugar. I'm picturing duct taping those bags around my body and then trying to make the 7 minute walk from the parking lot at work. No wonder I never exercised! It was like moving through a pool of water. I always had good intentions to walk or bike ride, but always ran out of time/energy to do so. Not to mention the type 2 diabetes that so exhausted me.

My BMI moved out of the 'overweight' range into the 'normal' range. I never thought I'd ever be so happy to be considered just normal!

I do wonder where this weight loss journey will take me. I had a goal to be a normal weight. I would like to lose some more though because my surgeon assures me that I will probably gain back about 10% of what I've lost within 5 years. So having lost 80+ pounds, that means that I'd regain 8 lbs, which would put me back into that overweight category again.

If you think that it's odd that I'm sitting here talking about weight gain after losing so much you would be right, but it's a fact of life and I want to keep it always in my mind and be ever vigilant just in case it happens. Besides it always has happened in the past - I was the queen of yo-yo dieters!

Anyway I would be remiss if I didn't remember the men and women who died for my very freedom to be typing this blog on a Monday morning. (Bruce, I love you and in the words of Toby Keith, "how do you like me now?")

~ barb

6 Months Surgeriversary

??8.0 lbs, 80 lbs lost!

So in weight loss surgery terms, this is my 6 months surgiversary. I've lost an even 80 lbs. and have 18 lbs to get to goal. This "goal" is simply a number not something I've been given by my doctor - it's a number I'd like to stay below. Honestly, if I never lost another pound I would consider myself successful and happy. When I went to the seminar they told us that people with my RNY proceedure should lose 70% of what they need to lose. According to my goal I'm at 80%. Although my doctor says that I'll probably gain back about 10%, so I'll lose 80% and gain back 10% in order to get to the 70% mark. I just want to eat right, take my vitamins, exercise and when my body gets to where it should be it will probably level off. (I'm guessing anyway!)

Here's a couple of updated pictures - I need to remember to quit wearing black for these pics, it doesn't really show any details...

I seem to have lost my butt & boobs somewhere. I'm going through the hair loss (which I've been assured that will grow back but the butt & boobs are gone for good!)

I've become a Goodwill fanatic! It's funny that since I'm more of a normal size (size 10-12) just about anything looks good - when I was a size 22, I spent a fortune on clothes and wouldn't step foot inside a Goodwill.

thanks...

~ barb